When it comes to the teamwork of the pair, there is naturally no need to worry. Even Erina knows how great their coordination is.
Almost from the beginning of learning to cook, Hachiman has been partners with Yukinoshita, and this continues to this day.
Yukinoshita, after understanding the essence of her own cooking, also absorbed knowledge through their team work, allowing her to emerge from past imitations.
For a 2v2 match, this might not be a bad thing. Focusing on individual strength, although Hikigaya, who has won four matches in a row, still has a chance to win, the main point is not here. Both Yukinoshita and Hikigaya are very clear that if they can't get Yukino's mother's approval, there will be a series of challenges coming one after another, and now...
It's time to end all of this.
Whether it is Erina's father or Yukinoshita's mother, they both came with a purpose. Nakiri Azami's goal is cooking with authority. By denying everything he decided and rejecting the cooking he thinks is right, this farce can be ended. What Yukinoshita's mother and sister need to see is Yukinoshita Yukino's own growth, which has nothing to do with anyone else.
Perhaps, even Yukino's mother thinks that whether or not she can see if a person has grown depends on her cooking, whether it has deviated from the original path and taken a different path from Haruno. But...
Hachiman knows that such a thing is impossible. Yukinoshita Yukino, who has been influenced since childhood, can't get rid of that shadow no matter what. What needs to be done is never to break free from it.
Since all that is needed is to show Yukinoshita Yukino's true self, then nothing is more important than truly creating a dish that belongs to her in front of the two of them.
Tadokoro Megumi is still slightly worried, placing her hands on her chest, wanting to say something for a moment:
"Hachiman, Yukinoshita, have you made your final preparations?"
Hachiman: "After all, it's the final battle. At this time, it's meaningless to make any preparations. It's better to just enjoy the moment."
Although Yukinoshita still doesn't quite trust herself, she trusts Hikigaya next to her. Since he has already said such a thing, then there really is no need for any reason.
As long as she empties her mind, perhaps everything will still have hope.
Erina also comes up, although her face is still a bit childish, the pride of the past has disappeared:
"Yukinoshita, in the past I always treated you as a rival, and now, I need you to prove to me, how far can you, this rival, go!"
Yukinoshita shows a faint smile, but keeps her eyes on Hikigaya:
"Erina, we have always been rivals, there is no doubt about that. Even in the future, it will be the same."
Perhaps understanding the meaning behind Yukinoshita's words, Erina's expression uncontrollably turned red for a moment, but now, there is nothing to deny.
From a certain point of view, they have always been rivals.
Alice, Takumi, Komachi and others gently place their hands on Yukinoshita and Hikigaya, seemingly conveying the words in their hearts completely to them. If they fail here, they will face expulsion together, and if they win here, they will write a new history for Totsuki Academy.
As time gets closer and closer, the two are about to step onto this stage again. At this moment, countless people are sitting in front of the television, just watching the birth of a new era of cooking.
Whether it is the victory of the Elite Ten or the victory of the rebels, after two hours, a definite answer will be given.
Hachiman and Yukino look at each other, and then put their final teamwork in each other's hearts. Under everyone's gaze, they slowly face their opponents.
At the same time, Tsukasa and Haruno also walk out from the other side. Facing these two powerful opponents, even their momentum is slightly lacking. The reason for this is naturally because of Haruno's appearance.
After changing into a white chef's uniform, she is no different from a veteran chef. In the eyes of outsiders, after all, it's a partnership between the tenth seat and the first seat, so they might fail in some way. But in Hachiman and Yukino's eyes, this guy is probably the real opponent.
Haruno: "Oh my, Yukino, I can finally compete with you!"
Yukino: "Don't call me that."
Haruno: "Geez, Yukino is so cute."
Tsukasa shook his head helplessly, and Hachiman didn't know what to say for a moment.
However, after all, it is on the world stage, so Haruno didn't say much, just put her eyes on Yukino, and her smile disappeared instantly.
"If you want to get your mother's approval, then defeat me first."
This 2v2 match uses an appetizer and main course comparison for cooking. It is not simply creating a simple dish with the cooperation of two people, but making a dish each, and the dishes should pay attention to the matching effect. For example, if both the appetizer and the main course are beef, even if both dishes are very delicious, from the point of view of matching, it is zero points.
While considering the taste of the dishes, it is also necessary to match the flavor of the appetizer or the main course. Hachiman and Yukino have already discussed in advance that Yukino will be responsible for the main course and Hachiman will be responsible for the appetizer.
Although in terms of strength, it might be more suitable for Hachiman to be responsible for the main course, it is obvious that Haruno is aiming for Yukino. If they don't do as she thinks, then in the end, they will only fail.
If that's the case... then let's take this opportunity.
Kawashima Urara appears in front of the four of them. As she puts her hand on the lottery box, a piece of paper floats out.
Kawashima Urara looks at the contents of the paper, and under a burst of surprise, slowly shows the paper she got.
[Soft-shelled turtle]
Soft-shelled turtle is not a rare ingredient in daily life, but it is really difficult to make a special taste, a delicious taste that is unforgettable, because its internal organs are too difficult to handle, and the fishy and stinky smell is also unbearable, so it naturally becomes an ingredient that most people don't want to consider.
But on this world stage, such an ingredient was drawn in the final match.
This was unexpected to most people, of course... this is also a new beginning, after all, many people are still looking forward to how the two sides will create a collision around the soft-shelled turtle.
Hachiman looked at Yukino with some worry, after all, she is good at dessert-type dishes, and she may not be able to handle such ingredients well. However, compared to him, Yukino herself is much calmer, perhaps because she had already made such preparations, so no matter what kind of ingredients she drew, it didn't matter at all.
Looking at Yukino's determined eyes, even Yukino's mother couldn't help but murmur in admiration:
"Yukino, you really seem to have changed... but the most important thing is action."
Her attention focused on Hachiman again. She always felt that this man was gradually changing her daughter, and she wasn't very clear about the reason.
But...
As the sound of a drum rings, the four contestants for the appetizer and the main course instantly pick up their cooking utensils. Although it is a 2v2 match, the cooking time is only two hours, and during this period, they have to make dishes that match each other's dishes. Within a limited time, there are more things to consider, and words can't be accurately conveyed. No... it should be said that there is no extra time to waste in such a time, so... this tests only the ultimate cooperation.
Unlike Hachiman and Yukino, Haruno and Tsukasa moved quickly. Almost in a flash, before the audience could see clearly, they had already processed the internal organs of the soft-shelled turtle. A milling knife in Haruno's hand showed 200% of its speed. This skilled technique impressed everyone.
Without knowing when, Tsukasa handed the prepared spices over, and Haruno didn't check too much, just put the spices in the pot and began to stir-fry. During this process, there was not the slightest mistake or hesitation. She made absolutely correct judgments at absolutely correct points in time, defaulted the content of the dishes in her mind, and brilliantly highlighted each spice in different ways. Finally, with an error of nearly milliseconds, she took out the prepared ingredients one after another.
Takumi was also frightened by Haruno's exquisite memory, and couldn't say anything for a moment.
Alice: "Amazing... I've never seen a chef like her. She still has such a relaxed expression on her face, it's like... she's playing."
Kurokiba: "An terrifying power has been bursting out of her, as if she is calculating what will happen next with her brain all the time. At this moment... she is the ruler of this stage."
Erina: "Whether it is my grandfather or other people, I have never seen such cooking... no... if I have to say, perhaps only one person can be compared with her, and that is Hikigaya's father."
Komachi: "Eh? My old man?"
Erina: "Although it has been a long time, he used to give me such pressure. But that was when I was a child, and now..."
Even without Erina saying anything, it is known that being able to give the adult Erina such a strong pressure, perhaps even the Seiichirou of that year can't do it. But... the young girl in front of her truly gave her this terrifying pressure.
Although Hachiman and Yukinoshita want to try their best to control themselves from being affected by each other, the momentum emitted by Haruno is too scary. The attention that they had been able to focus on before completely disappeared at this moment.
Yukino gritted her teeth. She didn't want all her efforts to be in vain after reaching this step. It was because she wanted to get rid of her sister's shadow that she came here, and now, she only lacks one step.
The more she thought about it, the more painful Yukino felt.
For a person without a self, they always need a host to survive as if nothing happened. This relationship, called dependent symbiosis, has always given her a headache, but even so...
The movements of her hands slowed down without knowing when. As past memories continued to flow out, she seemed to have lost her last resistance, until the movements of her hands completely stopped.
In comparison, Hachiman's movements were not affected at all, but instead became faster and faster. After noticing Yukino's expression, he took the initiative to break this state and came to Yukinoshita's side again:
"Are you okay?"
"Hikigaya... I really can't do it... I can't do anything, I haven't grown at all."
"No... that's not true. It's precisely because of the pain that it can better represent that you have broken your past demons."
Seeing that Yukinoshita didn't answer him, Hachiman continued:
"Do you know what it takes to make a good dish?"
"What is it?"
"That is what I have been pursuing. Just like words can't accurately convey to everyone, even the most delicious dish will definitely not satisfy everyone. Life is such a complex and troublesome thing."
"But..."
Hachiman's tone became heavy at this moment, but even his expression also became firm, which made Yukinoshita very puzzled:
"Even so, I still hope that the dishes I make can satisfy the people I care about, that you, that everyone can say that my dishes are delicious. I am sure that the joy in my heart at that time will be absolutely real."
"And you are the same. You are so painful because you want your sister and your mother to say 'delicious', right? So... no matter how much effort you put in, no matter how people talk about you, no matter how much the price behind it is, it doesn't matter anymore, does it?"
Hachiman's words seemed to make Yukinoshita see a glimmer of hope again. The essence of the words was silently telling the reality hidden behind the so-called cooking. This inexplicable frankness reduced the pressure on Yukino a lot.
Yukino just smiled softly: "Hikigaya, your cooking is very delicious!"
Hachiman: "If that's the case, let's make a dish that belongs to both of us. That is made from our teamwork."
As the two returned to their stoves, the competition will continue. Haruno and Yukino's mother, who witnessed this scene on the stage, became disturbed in their hearts for a moment.
Perhaps, she finally knows why her daughter can change so much in such a short time, and all of this, in the end, can't be separated from an inconspicuous man.
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